Marry Me?
by 23TigerLily23
Summary: Ron is planning the perfect proposal for the love of his life - but will everything go according to plan? *May be extended to Ron and Hermione's married life; rating may change *****ON HIATUS*****
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first ever FanFiction, which I wrote for my favorite series ever (HP of course)! Please tell me what you think of it. I would love any reviews or constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy my story!**

**Disclaimer: My name is not J.K. Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter (duh!).**

_Marry Me?_

Chapter 1

Ron felt decidedly out of place as he hurried down Albemarle Street, tugging at his tie and readjusting his ill-fitting suit jacket. He searched both sides of the road for his elusive destination, dodging brusque Muggles headed for home. At last, he arrived at the store – Garrard, a high-end jewelry shop. He began to reach for the door handle, but hesitated. For a moment, his nerves seemed to get the better of him, and he considered turning around and forgetting his mission and his plans. However, his inner voice nudged him onward – _Stick it out, mate! Come on! She's the best thing that's ever happened to you, and you can't let her slip away again!_ A determined look set on his facial features, Ron opened the door, steeling himself against foolishness and nerves. As he looked into the shop, his first thoughts were, _Ginny was right. This place really is posh!_ The floors were marble, and sparkling display cases lined the walls, diamonds and gemstones shimmering inside. To Ron, the whole place positively screamed fancy, stylish – and stuck up. He looked about for a moment, disoriented by the bright Muggle lights, until a snobbish salesman with a trim moustache hurried over. He looked Ron up and down with distaste, sneering at his mismatched clothing and rumpled hair.

"Hello, welcome to Garrard. My name is Richard, what are you looking for today?" the Muggle drawled, smothering a yawn behind his hand.

"I'm interested in choosing an engagement ring for my girlfriend," Ron answered curtly, annoyed at the man's blatant rudeness.

"We have a large selection of handmade, one-of-a-kind engagement rings here at Garrard. Any particular vision, or were you just planning on 'winging it'?" Richard asked, still with a bored look on his face. Ron was infuriated! What gave this Muggle the right to speak to a paying customer in that manner? He vowed to impress the salesman with the facts he had learned in Ginny's "Diamonds Crash Course".

"Yes, I'm looking for some very specific characteristics. For the main diamond itself, it must be a flawless, colorless diamond, preferably 3 carats. It should be set in 24 carat gold. I'm prepared to be flexible on the design, but nothing too ostentatious now! My beautiful Hermione is intelligent and modest. Still, it should be pretty – we favor a princess cut, and I'd also like diamonds inlaid in the rest of the band. Do you have anything like that available? I am also willing to have a ring custom made. After all, nothing is too good for her!" Ron smirked at the flabbergasted look on the salesman's face. He wasn't used to feeling such power and intelligence. However, money brought power, and as it turned out, three solid gold Galleons could bring in quite a bit of Muggle cash. He was feeling _very_ powerful and _very_ pleased with himself; it was almost as though he was under a spell. He felt so polished and in control, very unlike his usual goofy, clumsy self. _I must remember to thank Ginny when I see her next_, Ron thought to himself. _Blimey, her lessons were helpful!_

"W-well, s-s-sir," the other man stammered, trying to no avail to recover his suave demeanor, "I'm sure w-we can find something suitable to your needs. Let me escort you to our engagement ring section." Richard led Ron to a plush lift, which carried them up to the third floor of the store.

"Now, please, sir, take a look around and see if there is one that stands out to you. Let me know if you need any assistance on pricing or if you want a closer look," the salesman said, positively groveling after Ron's little speech.

"Oh, don't worry, sir," Ron said with a smile. "Money is no object." He began to stroll around the room, wishing Ginny was there to help him. Though he had put on a polished front for the salesman, he was so confused! His head began to spin as he looked through display case after display case. He couldn't decide what was right for Hermione, and he began to panic. _Focus, mate!_ he said to himself. _This is Hermione. Hermione. You've known her forever. You know everything about her. Just look around and find something she'd like. Nothing too big, but something pretty. Something unique, just like her, and beautiful like her too. You can pay for it. Just look around the room. The perfect ring is here somewhere. You just have to find it. _Ron continued repeating his mantra as he sorted through sparkling diamonds. Each was beautiful, but they were all missing that special something which screamed "Hermione!" He was beginning to lose hope when he finally came to the last case in the room, and there it was. Sitting right there in the middle on a velvet stand, winking at him and catching the light. It was a three-diamond design, with a large princess cut stone in the center, and a smaller gem on either side. It was beautiful, but not large or gaudy. Ron could picture it on Hermione's slender finger. He could see himself down on one knee, sliding it on. He could see her gasping with pleasure and excitement, admiring it and showing it off. At that moment, he knew it was the ring for him, and the ring for her.

"Richard!" he called. The salesman had been standing nervously in a corner of the room. "I've found the ring I'd like!" Richard hurried over, pulling a key out of the pocket of his suit jacket. He unlocked the case and pulled out the ring Ron had chosen.

"That is a beautiful ring, sir! 3.5 carats total; the main stone is 2.5 carats and the two smaller ones are each half a carat. And you've chosen a flawless stone, just as you wanted. I'm sure your dear lady will simply adore it. Now, we must discuss pricing; this ring is worth 40,000 euros. How will you be paying today?"

"Oh, I think I'll be paying in paper money, if that's all right," Ron answered. He moved off to the side and began to count out the Muggle money. _Let's see, so if that's a one hundred, then I'll need…400 of those. Bollocks! Now, how am I going to count this all out? It's so strange that Muggles use all this paper to pay for things! Wizarding money is so much simpler! _He struggled through as Richard looked on incredulously. Finally, Ron handed Richard a large stack of paper money.

"40,000 euros, I do believe," Ron said, smiling widely. Richard took the money, still looking quite shell-shocked.

"Very…very good, sir," Richard said. "Now, I suppose…I suppose I'll just box this up, then." He seemed a bit confused, but recovered swiftly. He pulled a black velvet box from underneath the counter and set Hermione's ring carefully in it. Handing it to Ron, he made a funny little bow.

"Thank you for your business here today, sir. I hope the proposal goes well, and she loves the ring. I'm sure she will; satisfaction is guaranteed here at Garrard. Good day now!"

"Good day to you, Richard, and thank you for your assistance. I'm sure she will love the ring," Ron said. He left the shop, and returned to bustling Albemarle Street, immediately tripping over a vendor's cart. _Now, there's only one thing left to do, _thought Ron as he stepped into a deserted alley. _And it's the most important part. Merlin's beard, I hope it goes well. _

And with that encouraging thought, he promptly Disapparated.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Like it, love it, hate it? Review please! It would make my day :) I hope to have another chapter up soon! -TigerLily**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey Guys! Sorry it took me so long to update - I had exams but they are finally over! After this, I'm hoping to do weekly updates. I wish I could be faster, but it's probably not possible. Thank you to the 3 people that reviewed Chapter 1 - hp4evr123, superpig909, and Violet Sky. It made me so happy! Glad you enjoyed the story! I hope you all enjoy chapter 2! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I'm doing with the plot. JKR owns everything else!  
**

_Marry Me?_**  
**

Chapter 2

Arriving back at the London flat he shared with Hermione, Ron stowed the small velvet box in the top drawer of his dresser. Flopping down on his bed, he began to make a list of preparations for the most important weekend of his life. _Let's see,_ he mused, _I'll need to pay Mum a visit at some point so she can teach me how to make that chicken stuff Hermione likes. And the strawberry cake! Blimey, how in the hell am I going to bake a cake? And I need to buy the candles and the flowers, and get Ginny to help me decorate, and I need to…Merlin's beard! I forgot to tell Hermione! What if she's busy this weekend? What if she doesn't have time? It'll ruin all my plans! Bloody hell!_ Cursing himself, Ron jumped up and ran to the small, tidy living room. Grabbing some Floo powder out of the emerald green jar, he threw it into the fire and shouted "Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic!" Just moments later, he spun out of the fire and into Hermione's department, gasping and coughing. The receptionist looked quite shocked at his unexpected arrival.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley. What can I do for you today? 's in a meeting with the minister," the woman said. _Bollocks,_ Ron cursed under his breath.

"Do you know when Hermione'll be back then, Diane?" Ron asked, sighing heavily and lowering himself into one of the waiting chairs.

"Well, fairly soon, I should think…" As Diane spoke, Hermione opened the door and walked into the room. Not noticing Ron, she began to speak to her assistant.

"I'm going to need a stiff drink after that one, Diane... Oh! Ron!" Hermione's cheeks colored as she finally realized that Ron was there. Grinning, he got up and walked over to her.

"Hello, Hermione," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. She kissed him back for a moment, but then seemed to remember that she was at work and pulled back, blushing again.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, darling?" she asked him, smiling.

"Well, I just wanted to formally invite you to a dinner this weekend, 'Mione," Ron said, once again flashing her a grin. "It's going to be very special!"

"Why, of course I'll come, Ron. What time? I just have to check with Diane," Hermione responded.

"Saturday, around 6. You don't have to work then, do you?" He held his breath as Diane looked through her schedule.

"You're free, Ms. Granger," Diane said, looking over at Ron and giving him a quick wink. "I hope you two have fun!"

"I'm sure we will, Diane," Ron said, mouthing "Thank You" when Hermione looked away.

"Right then, 'Mione, glad we've got that cleared up. I've got to get back – see you tonight?"

"See you tonight, Ron. And I can't wait until Saturday!" Hermione said, giving him a quick kiss as he stepped into the fireplace and disappeared from her office.

Contrary to Hermione's opinion, Ron was not heading back to their flat, nor was he going to the job to which he had deceitfully called in sick. Instead, he was paying a visit to his one and only sister, Ginny, to get her decorating advice. Stepping out of the fireplace, he took in the untidy living room of her own London flat, shared with her husband (and Ron's best mate) Harry. Noticing a pair of trousers strewn across the couch, Ron rolled his eyes.

"Oi! Ginny! Where are you?" he called, striding into the kitchen. He heard a muffled scream from the opposite corner of the flat, and soon enough, his baby sister came shuffling into the kitchen, looking sheepish and clutching a green robe closed around her middle. She gave Ron a small smile.

"Really Ginny? You two can't even keep your hands off of each other for five minutes! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother coming over here," Ron said, exasperated. Harry slunk into the kitchen as he was speaking, also in a hastily-thrown-on robe.

"Sorry mate," Harry said, looking just as embarrassed as his wife. "What did you need again? We weren't expecting you, after all."

"I needed some advice from your dear wife, Harry. Although if you two are too busy snogging and doing…who knows what else, then I guess I'll come back later!" Ron retorted.

"No, Ron, it's fine," Ginny told him. "If you had just let us know…Well, that's beside the point. What did you need help with? Proposal problems again? You got the ring, I presume?"

"Yes, I've got the ring. It's just perfect. But now I need help with the actual proposal. I've already decided what to do. You know, Hermione's always been a homebody, so I'm going to do it in the flat. Mum's given me the recipes for 'Mione's favorite foods, so as long as I can figure out how to make them, that dinner's all set. But I need your help with decorating. I have no idea what I'm doing! I want it to be really romantic, with like flowers and lights and stuff, but I haven't the faintest idea how to make it look good." Ron was truly confused.

"Well, it sounds like the perfect plan. Of course, it'll never live up to Harry's proposal," Ginny boasted, looking lovingly at her husband.

"Of course not. Really, mate, why'd you have to go and propose at the World Cup in front of the entire world? None of the rest can ever compete with it! Of course, would've been hilarious if you'd said no, Gin. I would've laughed at you for the rest of your life, Harry!" Ron said, chuckling even just thinking about it.

"She never would've said no," Harry said confidently.

"How do you know, Harry?" Ginny asked. "Maybe I would've! Think about that for a while. Now, Ron. If I teach you how to decorate the flat today, d'you think you can recreate it on Saturday?"

"Sure! I just have to know what to do," Ron said.

"Well then, why don't we head over to your place and I'll give you my 'Decorating Crash Course'," Ginny offered.

"Sounds great!" Ron exclaimed, just as a wounded Harry said, "So you're just going to leave me here?"

"You'll live, dear," Ginny said, giggling at the expression on his face. "Come now, Ronald! Let's go!" Grabbing Ron's wrist, she waved and then Disapparated, leaving a stunned Harry behind.

**A/N: So, what did you think of chapter 2? Whether you loved it or hated it, please review! I'm hoping to get 5 reviews before I post the next chapter - over 200 people read it but only 3 reviews! :( Still, I'm happy with anything. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter should be the last of Ron's preparations (and a couple of mishaps :D). Then we should have the proposal in Chapter 4! I'm definitely going to extend it - I have a couple of ideas for their later life! So, please review! - Tiger Lily**


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